The present invention generally relates to methods for determining agents that modulate a biological activity of an insect transient receptor potential V (TRPV) channel in a cell. The present invention also relates to compositions and methods of insect control as well as vectors encoding an insect TRPV channel and cells comprising an insect TRPV channel.
Almost all field crops, plants, and commercial farming areas are susceptible to attacks by plant insect pests. Plant insect pests are a major factor in the loss of the world's commercially important agricultural crops resulting both, in economic hardship to farmers and nutritional deprivation for local populations in many parts of the world. In other words, insect pests cause great loses and damages to human agriculture, food supply, post-harvest storage, horticulture, animal health and public health.
While advances have been made in the control of these insects, these insects have been able to adopt and evade the control measures. As a result, there remains a need for better understanding of the mechanisms that underlie feeding and other behaviors of insect pests. Such knowledge would allow for the design of agents and strategies for intervening or preventing attacks on all field crops, plants, and commercial farming areas by the insect pests.
Broad spectrum chemical pesticides and insecticides have been used extensively to control or eradicate plant insect pests of agricultural importance. There is, however, substantial interest in identifying and/or developing effective alternative insecticides. As such, effective methods for screening of the new insecticides would be desirable.
What are needed, then, are new methods that can be employed in screening for agents that modulate insect behavior, and in some cases, screening for agents that can act as insecticides.